Display device



May 23, 1933. M AR-T L 1,910,621

DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Jan. 51, 1931 Patented May 23, 1933 STTES reaMAXWELL J. MARTELL, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK; GEORGE MAR'IELL ADMINIS-TBATOR OF SAID MAXWELL J. MARTELL, DECEASED DISPLAY DEVICE Applicationfiled. January 31, 1931. Serial No. 512,587.

The present invention relates to display stands of a type used in windowadvertising and the like, and, in particular, to display stands of atype which can be rolled up when not on display, and also rolled for thepurpose of distributing or mailing.

An important advantage of a collapsible display stand over one which ismounted on a stiff backing is that it can be rolled up 19 for thepurpose of distributing, mailing and storing to the thickness of amailing tube, although the fiat dimensions may be of any requirement forwindow advertising.

A further advantage is that a flat package having an easel portion forsupport, folded upon the back, frequently requires a larger size cartonthan may be distributed by parcel post, whereas such a display, ifrollable into a compact package, may be mailed without difficulty. I

Heretofore, so far as I am aware, it has been customary in distributingprinted matter which is to be exhibited in a store window, or the like,for advertising purposes to furnish the display either mounted on astiff backing or printed directly on such backing. To this type ofdisplay there has usually been glued or attached a separate easel forsupport which is carried upon the 39 back thereof.

The difliculty with such a display is that frequently the sizerequirement exceeds the parcel post size limitations and thus thedisplay cannot be transmitted through the mails. This is a seriousdisadvantage and prevents efliciency in distributing and handling.Further, with the stiff backing on a display an extra wrapping and extracontainer is required for distribution, and such [to extra wrapping orcontainer frequently exceeds or equals the cost of the display itself.

However, according to my present invention, the display stand when readyfor distribution is rolled inside of a container which becomes thesupporting easel when the device is assembled for display purposes. Thedisplay, it is thus seen, can be rolled, and when provided with a plainwrapper or inserted into a mailing tube at the discretion of theadvertiser is in condition for mailing or filing for future use. Fordisplay purposes the arrangement may be unrolled and after the easel hasbeen properly afiixed to the display plaque in the simple manner to behereinafter set forth, it gives all the desirable appearance of aperfectly flat and rigid display and supports itself in an uprightposition.

Another advantage is that this display stand will, when assembled,remain in a fixed upright position Without any other support thanthatwhich is supplied by its own wrapper or easel.

A further objective is to provide a dependable means for the support inkeeping the display in an upright position.

A further advantage and object of my invention is to provide, inconjunction with the rollable and collapsible display, a means wherebywhen the display is used it may assume a rigid form so as to have all ofthe desirable appearances of a fixed and rigid display. According to apreferred form of my invention, as will be hereinafter described bymaking reference to the accompanying drawing, I have provided anarrangement wherein the display sheet has carried along opposite edgeportions thereof supporting members between which an easel or supportingportion may be positioned so as to hold 89 the arrangement in a tautstretched position. In order to satisfy the space requirement, I have soarranged the easel portion that it may be rolled and wrapped about thedisplay plaque in shipping or mailing, and thus require very littleadditional space, and, at the same time, provide a rigid or semi-rigidcontainer within which the display proper is inserted.

According to previous notations wherein the easel is inserted betweenthe top and the bottom cross members, there has been provided on eachside of the section so inserted, an extra portion of easel stock whichwhen bent backwards in rightangular position and held so by means of aspecially adjusted lock permits the display to stand firm whereverplaced.

Other objects of my invention are to provide a display stand foradvertising and simi- 109 rolled sheet 1.

lar purposes which is of a convenient size to handle and ship; toprovide a display stand which is convenient to assemble; and to providea display device which is simple in its construction and arrangement ofparts as well as being inexpensive and convenient to manufacture.

Still other and ancillary objects and advantages of this invention willbecome apparent and easily recognized by making reference to theaccompanying drawing in connection with the following specification.

By the drawing, Fig. 1 illustrates a rear view of my display stand asassembled; Fig. 2 illustrates the display stand as rolled into a compactpackage and surrounded by the supporting easel; Fig. 3 illustrates thesupporting easel prior to the time of rolling; Fig. t illustrates asectional view of the display stand taken on the line L-a of Fig. 1;Fig. 5 illustrates a section through a portion. of the display stand andone of the edge supporting members; and, Fig. 6 is a sectional view toshow corrugated material used for tne suppoitlng easel.

Now making reference to the accompanying drawing, the display sheet 1,which is preferably printed or lithograohed and of approximately thesame weight used for billboard advertising and of a size stipulated bythe advertiser, has a supporting member 3 formed of three separatebattens or strips of material 5, 7 and 9 suitably fastened thereon so asto form a grooved or slotted portion 6 when fastened together. Thegroove or slot 6 is focused by means of the strips or battens 5 and 9extending laterally out beyond the batten 7. These various strips orbattens may be formed from cardboard strips fastened to the top andbottom of the printed sheet by staples or may be of any other suitablelight weight material suitably fastened or glued to the sheet ofadvertising material 1. Of course, it will be obvious that thesupporting member 3 may be a single piece of material appropriatelyslotted as above suggested.

For the purpose of supporting the sheet when it is unrolled, I haveprovided an easel member, support or stand 11, shown more particularlyby Fig. 3, which, as will hereinafter be described, is adapted to becarried or supported in the slots 6 and 8 formed from the supportingmembers or battens 5,

7, 9 and 5, 7, 9 which are fastened toopposite edge portions of thedisplay sheet.

The easel portion of my device preferably consists of a member 13capable of being rolled as shown by Fi 2 to surround the The easel orsupport member 13 is provided at each end with tongue portions 15 and 17respectively for engagement with the slots 6 and 8, and, for example,the tongue portion 15 is adapted to fit in the slot 6 of the supportmembers or battens 3 while the tongue portion 17 fits within the slot 8formed from the supporting battens 3. To provide a more rigid supportsurface the easel 13 is formed of corrugated or other similar andsuitable materal having the characteristic of being easily rollable inone direction and substantially rigid in a second direction. Thisprovides a. surface for support which is better able to Withstand wearand to be more serviceable in mailing.

In assembling the display'stand the tongue portion 15 of member 13 isfirst positioned in slot 8 and then the tongue 17 is placed in thecutaway portion 19 of the slot 6. The easel or support member may thenbe moved within slots 6 and 8 longitudinally of the sets of supportingmembers or battens 3 and 3' until it is in the position shown by Fig. 1.

As so arranged, the supporting portions 21 and 23 of the supportingelement, easel or stand 18 extend externally of the lower supports orbattens 9 and when curved to a position such as is shown by Fig. 1 forma support for the entire arrangement.

Where desired, and where the support easel or stand is formed ofmaterial of sufficient strength and rigidity, the slot formedby theupper support members or battens 5, 7 and 9, or by the lower supportingmembers or battens, or both, may be so arranged as to vary in depththroughout the length thereof, as indicated by widths a and b on Fig. 1,so that as the supporting easel or stand is moved from right to left,looking at Fig.1, the sheet of material 1 carried by the end supportingmembers 3 and 3 may be stretched in any suitable manner. Also, wheredesired, the supporting portions 21 and 23 of the support element oreasel 13 may be tapered so that they will, when rolled to the positionshown by Fig. 1, permit the displaysheet 1 to be tipped or tilted to amore suitable angle than perpendicular to the surface upon which thelower element 3 and supporting easel rests so that it may be viewed in amore convenient manner.

In order to fasten the supporting stand or easel 13 in its opened orrolled position for display purposes, I have provided what has beenherein termed a hinge or looking member. This lock consists preferablyof a wing portion 25 and a cutaway or slotted portion 27. The wingportion of the locking device consists preferably of the same materialas forms the supporting element 15 and is formed merely by cutting in aportion of the member a sort of if-shaped section which may be pressedaway from the supporting material. In order no permit the wing orT-shaped portion 25 to be bent frequently without breaking away from thesupporting member 15, I have preferably provided a hinge 29 of anyflexible cloth or the like which may be fastened to both the fixed partof the supporting easel or element 15 and the wing portion thereof. Uponopening and bringing the member 15 to the position shown by Fig. l, theWing portion of the locking device is suitably pressed away from themember 15 in a manner such as will be obvious from examination ofFig. 1. Upon rolling out of the easel to the curved formation of Fig. 1,the wing member 25 is inserted in the slot 27 and is there held securelyso as to maintain the easel in opened position.

At such times as the display is no longer required for advertisingpurposes, it may be readily disassembled and folded in the manner shownby Fig. 2. In the folded state the display is in suitable form both forstoring and for shipping.

The many advantages of such an arrangement will, of course, be obviousto those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, and it willbe obvious that many changes and improvements may be made herein withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention as herein defined. I,therefore, believe my invention should be construed in its generic senseand limited only in so far as the scope of the hereinafter appendedclaims necessitates.

Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is the following:

1. A collapsible display stand comprising a rollable display sheethaving a supporting element provided with a slot therein extendingacross opposite edge portions of the sheet, a supporting easel havingtongue portions on each end for mounting within said slotted member forsupporting said sheet and having an elongated base portion flexible inone direction and rigid in a direction corresponding to the heightthereof to provide for rolling said easel backward from said sheet, andmeans for fastening said easel in said rolled position.

2. A readily mailable display device comprising, in combination, arolled display sheet and a display stand rigid in one direction tosupport the display sheet and rollable in a second direction so as toform, when rolled, a mailing carton for the display sheet.

3. A display stand comprising a display sheet, an elongated slottedmember extending across each end of said sheet, one of said membershaving a portion thereof recessed intermediate the ends thereof, and asupport ing easel adapted to be positioned within said recessed portionand moved to a position within said slotted member so as to support saidsheet in a rigid manner.

4. A display stand comprising a display sheet, an elongated slottedmember of progressively varying depth extending completely across eachend of said sheet, a supporting easel adapted to be positioned withinsaid slotted member and moved to a position so as to support said sheetin a rigid manner, and means for fastening said easel in a position tosupport said sheet.

5. A display stand comprising a display sheet, an elongated slotted endsupport member extending across each end of said sheet, and at least oneof said slotted members be ing of varying depth from end to end and oneof said members having a portion thereof recessed, a supporting easeladapted to be positioned within said recessed portion and moved to aposition within said slotted members so as to support said sheet in arigid manner, and a locking device for maintaining said easel inposition to support said display sheet.

6. A display stand comprising a display sheet, a plurality of supportingmembers carried upon each end of said sheet, said supporting membersbeing so arranged as to form a slotted supporting element having a slotof progressively varying depth from end to end, one of said supportingmembers having a recessed portion therein and a sup- I porting easeladapted to be positioned within the recessed portion of said supportmember and moved within said slotted members to a position such as tosupport and stretch said display sheet.

7. A collapsible display comprising, in combination, a rollable displaysheet, a plu rality of supporting members secured to opposite edgeportions thereof in such manner as to permit the display sheet to berolled, and an easel member rigid in one direction to space thesupporting members for displaying the sheet and rollable in a seconddirection for providing, upon dis-assembling from the support elements,a carton for housing the display sheet and end supporting elements inrolled position.

8. A display stand comprising a display sheet, a plurality of supportingmembers carried upon each end of said sheet, said sup porting membersbeing so arranged as to form a slotted supporting element having a slotof varying depth, one of said supporting members having a recessedportion therein, an easel having supporting members at one end thereofand provided with tongue portions on the opposite end thereof adapted tobe positioned within the recessed portion of said support member andmoved within said slotted elements to a position such as to support andstretch said display sheet, means provided by said supporting members ofsaid easel for supporting said entire display when said members arecurved relative to said display sheet, and means for fastening saideasel supporting members in said curved position.

MAXWELL J. MARTELL.

